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The Ugandan boxing fraternity is in mourning following the sudden death of national team boxer Alex Kanaabi, who was pronounced dead in the early hours of Thursday morning at Kiruddu Hospital. According to family sources, the light middleweight boxer is suspected to have died from poisoning.
Kanaabi was an active competitor in the Boxing Champions League broadcast on NBS Sport and was enjoying the best phase of his career. He won the light middleweight title during last year’s Champions League finals on Boxing Day, his final appearance in the ring. After switching from welterweight to light middleweight, he also won gold at the national championships, qualifying for the league.
UOC President Donald Rukare handing Alex Kanabi (middle) at the 2025 UBCL Finals
In October last year, Kanaabi made his national team debut at the Africa Zone 3 Boxing Championship in Kenya, returning home with a bronze medal for Uganda.
Scenes of grief were witnessed at his family home in Kireka, Kinawataka, as mourners gathered to pay their last respects. Political leaders, including MP Ibrahim Semujju and Uganda Boxing Federation president Moses Muhangi, called for calm and urged respect for the family’s decision to bury Kanaabi in Masaka this Friday.
Kanaabi’s sudden death revives painful memories of the mysterious passing of fellow boxer Bala Geko in October 2023, leaving the boxing community once again grappling with the loss of a rising star.
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